Electric arc treatment of liquid hydrocarbons



Nov. 3, 1931! MERCER 1,830,615

ELECTRIC ARC TREATMENT OF LIQUID HYDROGARBONS Filed April 15. 1929 85 M81 67? Inventor and acetylene.

Patented Nov. 3, 1 931' 1 UNITED. STATES PATENT orrics v v 'YvEs mama, orrma'rmcn, assronon 'ro rem mourns, socm'rn momma POUR LETUDE a r'nxrrorrarron mas rnocnnns cannons CLAUDE, or rams,

FRANCE f ELECTRIC TREATMENT OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS Application filed April 15, 1929, Serial No. 355,881, and in Great Britain April 20, 1928.

My invention relates to improvements in electric arc treatment of liquid hydrocarbons 'such as petroleum oils, coal-tar oils, etc. for producing gas containing chiefly hydrogen It is known that bycausing a spark to pass Within a liquid h drocarbon there is obtained, besides car on, a gas largely composed of hydrogen and acetylene. The acetylene grade or contents of the mixture is under 15%, this approximate figure being given by Berthelot as the equilibrium percentage.

Through the improvements which are the subject matter of this application I am enabled to increase said percentage by moving the reaction Y towards acetylene formation and to'bring up to a maximum the gaseous delivery per kilowatt-hour of energy expenditure.

Various factors'infiuence the yield or efiiciency of the operation, to wit: nature of the oil treated, freqluency 0f the current used, capacity and se i induction of the electric circuit, nature of electrodes, etc. a J

According to my invention, I have found that the rime factors are: speed at which the liquid passes through the arc, pressure in the reaction chamber, and spacing of the electrodes for a given voltage.

In order, to obtain a high acetylene grade (35%) the gas produced in the arc has to be cooled. as rapidly as possible.

A low pressure also fosters actylene formation and operating under at least 15 cm. mercurial depression increases the efliciency.

On the other hand, to obtain a gaseous output as high as possible per kilowatthour, one must work with the maximum electrode acing consistent with steadiness of the are or a given voltage. There is occasion, however, m such conditions to provide a device permitting of the are being readily started.

For instance, the arc will be started while the two electrodes arein contact, and a device of any'suitable kind will be adapted to permit the electrodes to be spaced, once the arc is on, so as to be positioned for best fulfilling the above indicated conditions. Another arestarting method consists in jumping between the electrodes a high frequency spark which will make a path through the liquid of the.

normal arc. Said spark may either be kept on during the treatment or be used only while starting operation.

The figure in the accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically and as an examplean embodiment of my invention.

According to said drawing, the oil to be treated is fed to a container A through the center of a stationary hollow electrode B mounted on the Wall of A with a suitable in- V sulator C interposed. Electrode B has its end preferably funnel-shaped in order-to permit spreading the arc jumping between it I bon thereon, which would short-circuit the arc. The oil, driven by a pump,.circulates between electrodes B and D at any desired speed; carried along by the oil the gases formed "bubble to the upper regions of container A where they meet an important mass of oil that cools them off. They are then sucked up at E by a vacuum pump while the oil comes out through E to be returned to the oil pump. o l

Removable electrode D is adjustably maintained at. a distance from the electrode B by means, of a threaded rodfitted with an opgr ating hand wheel electrically insulated at Adjustment of the electrodespacing may, 1ndeed,-beeflected automatically b means of a suitable mechanism similar tot at usedwith various electric furnaces.

circuit may, for instance, be temporarily shunted on the two current leaders-in to electrodesXandY.

It should be noted also that both electrodes can be hollow, each thereof serving them to bring the liquid to be treated.

Lastly, by providing a pluralit ofelec- 7 trodes, I can get a polyphase arc, t ereby se curing the known advantages of such an arc, especially as concerns steadiness. With three electrodes, for instance, set at 120 apart, a three phase are can be readily obtained. What Iclaim is:

1. An apparatus for the treatment of liquid hydrocarbons by means of the electr1c arc, consistin in the use of two series of electrodes of which at least one series is hollow in order to allow for the supply of hydrocarbon, the end of these hollow electrodes having a conical form spreading around the electrode of opposite polarity, the extremity of last mentioned electrode being conical also.

2. An apparatus for the treatment of liquid hydrocarbons by means of the electric arc, consisting in the use of two series of electrodes of which at least one series is hollow in order to allow for the supply of hydrocarbon, the end of these hollow electrodes having a conical form spreading around the electrode of opposite polarity, the extremity 0t last mentioned electrode being conical also, and the electrodes being separated from one another to the maximum distance compatible with the stability of the arcs.

3. An apparatus for the treatment of liquid hydrocarbons by means of the electric arc, consisting in the use of two series of electrodes of which at least one series is hollow in order to allow for the supply of by drocarbon, the end of these hollow electrodes having a conical form spreading around the electrode of opposite polarity, the extremity of last mentioned electrode being conicalalso, the'electrodes being separated from one another to the maximum distance compatible with the stability of the arc, and the velocity of flow of the liquid hydrocarbon supplied by the hollow electrodes being suflicient to avoid the eventual carbon deposit on the electrodes.

In witness whereof I hand.

YVES' MERCIEB have hereuntotset my 4 

